The production of phenol/formaldehyde resins has been practiced for many years. These resins find many uses, not the least of which is in the production of decorative laminates wherein Kraft paper sheets are impregnated therewith and used, after drying, as the core of the laminate. For use as an impregnating resin, the phenolic resin is manufactured as a solution in water.
For many other uses, it is preferred that the resin be manufactured in the form of a solid, free-flowing powder. In this form, the resin is more economically shipped and, if desired, can be solubilized at the location of its use.
Solid, powdery, free-flowing resins of phenol and formaldehyde have been produced, however, their method of manufacture has been very cumbersome and expensive. Furthermore, most commercially available solid phenolic resins have a tendency to cake together and form large lumps or aggregates on storage for short periods of time. Since grinding these aggregates in order to reduce their particle size creates heat and heat is detrimental to the resin by causing further reaction and increased fusing of the resin particles together, it is extremely difficult to break the agglomerates down into their original particle size.
Therefore, if a process could be developed for the production of a phenolic resin which is powdery, free-flowing and free of the tendency to agglomerate upon storage, a long-felt need would be satisfied.